Reflection on Nursing Metaparadigm Concepts

This paper reflects on nursing metaparadigm concepts, including the four fundamental concepts of nursing, patient, environment, and health. Florence Nightingale's nursing theories are used to reflect on the metaparadigm concepts.

Running head: REFLECTION ON NURSING METAPARDIGM CONCEPTS
Reflection on Nursing Metaparadigm Concepts
Name of student:
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REFLECTION ON NURSING METAPARADIGM CONCEPTS
Abstract
The following paper is based on a reflection on nursing metaparadigm concepts. All the four
fundamental concepts of nursing, patient, environment and health are discussed in elaborate
way. Florence Nightingale, the Lady with the lamp is considered as the nursing theorist while
reflecting on the metaparadigm concepts.
Keywords: Nightingale, metaparadigm, nursing, environment, health, patient

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Introduction
The following paper intends to discuss the nursing metaparadigm concepts in an
elaborate manner. The nursing metaparadigm comprises of theoretical ideas which provide a
structural framework on nursing discipline taking in to consideration various nursing theories.
The theories describing metaparadigm revolve around four fundamental concepts centred on
patient as a whole. These metaparadigm concepts gives a holistic view of nursing care to
ensure patient’s health and well-being. Among plentiful nursing theories, I have chosen
nursing theories of Florence Nightingale to reflect on my personal perspectives on nursing
metaparadigm concepts. Florence Nightingale’s nursing theories share a congruity with anti-
contagionism basis of thought. Her nursing theories are based on real life nursing
experiences; thus her theories of nursing are rooted to empiricism which is based on her
nursing knowledge. Nursing theories of Florence nightingale are directly focussed on the
environmental circumstances and their role in developing patient’s health. Her theories are
framed through validation of nursing care roles that she performed during nineteenth century
to improve sanitary conditions and promote reduced mortality among patients. This is the
reason I chose nursing theories of Florence Nightingale to reflect on the metaparadigm
concepts.
Nursing
The nursing theory of Florence Nightingale is based on her personalized nursing
experience, unlike thoughtful ideas of mind. According to her nursing views, the nursing
discipline is different from that of medicine and should not be confused with medicine
approach. Nightingale addresses in her nursing theories that nursing care is intended to
provide a healing environment where a patient can be acted upon by best possible
interventions to achieve quality care and healthy life. Her belief in nursing concept is that

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symptoms and sufferings of patient are not a manifestation of disease or sickness, rather they
are related to the environmental influences (Alligood, 2017). Nightingale’s theories addresses
that diseases are not always involved in patient health. Sometimes, poor environmental
aspects largely contribute to disturbances in social, mental, emotional states of an individual
which impact the overall health and wellbeing. My perceptions of nursing concept lies in the
nursing practice through development of nursing skills and providing nursing actions in the
form of nursing interventions. Experienced based skill development is essential in bringing
out nursing interventions to accurately treat individual patients. Education and training are
both required in enhancing professional and technical skills to attend to patient care.
According to my personal view of nursing concept, the nursing responsibilities and actions
evolve with new care requirements for a patient. Time and experience along with education
and training help to build to strong and direct nursing care approach towards a patient.
According to me, nursing component of metaparadigm involves developing a mutual caring
bonding between the patient and nurse. This is achieved through promoting a safe and
healthy environment around a patient. Therefore, according to my perception, nursing and
environment are related and interdependent with respect to maintaining patient health and
wellbeing. Nursing does not consider providing medications to eliminate illness; rather
nursing care is provided to identify the root of illness to provide recovery. I feel that nursing
services are an integration of understanding the patient condition, identifying the roots of
illness, evolving through experience and education, developing and implementing treatment
and care plans.
Environment
According to Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory, the environment plays a
momentous role in determining a person‘s health condition and promoting healthy
maintenance. Environment has a stimulatory effect on a patient; patient’s health condition is

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affected due to disease that emerge due to environmental disturbances. The components of
environment also involve social factors like customs, beliefs and the society where a person
lives. Florence nightingale discusses in her environmental theory of nursing that diseases
result from environmental influences and affect human life contributing to mortality (Hegge,
2013). Nursing approach plays a crucial role in maintaining environment of a person to
promote healthy life and energy. Nightingale addresses in her theory that nursing should be
intended to promote a suitable healthy environment around a person in order to promote
delivery of complete care to achieve faster recovery from illness. In alignment with
Nightingale’s environmental theory, my perception of environment is inclusive of internal
and external surroundings of a person. The surrounding in which a person resides and the
internal state of mind, both play considerable roles in determining and maintaining healthy
balance between a patient and his environment. I agree with Nightingale’s environmental
theory in that, proper ventilation and health of patient houses, cleanliness of rooms and beds,
warming atmosphere, personal cleanliness and hygiene, noise, light act together in
facilitating a healthy environment for a patient. According to my understanding of
environment, the susceptibility of a person to a disease or any form of sickness is largely
dependent on the environment. My nursing concept of environment is in agreement with
Nightingale’s theory that both social and psychosocial environments have an impact on
patient’s mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, I feel that nursing approach and care to
maintain a healthy environment, both external and internal, would be immensely beneficial in
curing a patient from an illness. Nightingale addresses in her environmental theory that
availability of nutritional resources and food intake at the right moment in adequate quantity
are also a part of environmental determination in promoting a patient’s health. Therefore, I
believe that nursing skills should be to make beneficial alterations in environmental aspects
to achieve improvement in patient’s health. Nursing should also make improvements of both

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internal and external environment of patient s to promote an overall wellbeing of the patients.
Nursing care therefore focusses on the environmental aspects of providing holistic care to
patients. Nursing care provides a prime focus on improving environmental conditions to
improve patients’ health condition as the environment is directly involved in promoting
health of a patient.
Person
As stated in Florence Nightingale’s theory of Nursing, the term ‘person’, refers to the
individual who is receiving treatment and care. In accordance to this theory, the person must
be considered as a being possessing multidimensional facets, which comprises of
psychological, spiritual, biological and social platforms (Koffi & Fawcett, 2016). Hence,
following this theory in my nursing practice, I am required to utilize appropriate treatment
procedures, care planning and medication administration, for the purpose of tending to the
biological component of the patient. In order to improve and result in positive feelings of
wellbeing in the psychological components of the patient by following Nightingale’s theory, I
make sure that I engage in active listening, empathy and compassion while tending to my
patients so that they feel emotionally and psychologically safe, secure and empowered to
adhere to their treatment (Mackey & Bassendowski, 2017). For the successful treatment of
the social component of the person receiving care following Nightingales nursing theory, I
make sure that I exhibit appropriate family-centered approach to treatment which involves
communicating the treatment conditions of the patient, with his or her close peers and family
members, which not only reassures the family but also results in positive health outcomes of
the patient, through improvement of their social interactions and networks (Zborowsky,
2014). In my present nursing practice, my adherence towards Nightingale’s theory also
makes me realize the importance of maintaining the spiritual health and wellbeing of the
person receiving care. Hence, by following this theory the treatment given to the patient by

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me, must also focus on making the person feel value, empowered and optimistic, which I
successfully try to incorporate in my nursing practice by respecting the religious and spiritual
beliefs of the person and incorporating the same in their care plan. Lastly, I believe that
application of Nightingale’s theory in my nursing practice would be incomplete without me
considering the usage of ‘Holism’ – which emphasizes the integration of the environmental
needs of the patient with his or her psychological, spiritual and social needs (Pirani, 2016).
Health
As popularly stated the by the World Health Organization , the health of the person,
lies beyond merely the absence of a disorder, but must also include the prevalence of
wellbeing in the social, physical, emotional and spiritual levels (Charlier et al., 2017). As
stated by Florence Nightingale in her theory of Nursing, the health of a person is defined by
not just the lack of illness, but also by the maximum capability of the person to function in
his daily life. Hence, I attempt to incorporate this nursing paradigm in my current clinical
practice in accordance to Nightingale’s Nursing model, by providing a holistic and
multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of my patients, resulting in removal of symptoms
as well as enhancing the wellbeing of the patient so that he or she can exhibit healthy
performance of daily life activities for a lifetime, even after treatment (Kamau et al., 2015).
Florence Nightingale also emphasized on actively observing patients without which, disease
pathophysiology cannot be understood. Hence, following this theory, I attempt to regularly
monitor my patients which allow me to respond actively to any changes which may occur in
their health conditions. Lastly, the health paradigm in accordance to Nightingale’s theory
focuses on the importance of environment for the recovery of the patient. Hence, during
treating my patients, I follow this theory my ensuring that my patients are provided with
hygienic food and water, adequate ventilation, lighting and electricity resulting in patient
comfort and positive health outcome (Mughal & Ali, 2017).

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Theoretical Application in Nursing Practice
I attempt to incorporate the principles of the nursing model stated by Florence
Nightingale, in my current nursing practice, my providing a holistic, inter-professional
treatment to my patients, which aims at not only alleviating the disease symptoms, but also in
the physiological, psychological, functional and developmental improvements in the patient. I
believe that for successful administration of Nightingale’s theoretical principles in nursing
practice, one must adhere to the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Nurses in Primary Care,
which have been formulated by the Government of Canada, and which I try to exhibit in my
daily nursing performance (Chauvette & Paul, 2016). Hence, in accordance to these
guidelines, I engage in effective nursing practices of identifying the nature and onset of
symptoms, presented by the patient, adequately diagnosing the disease condition, treating the
illness with the help of an efficient care plan and using the same knowledge to adequately
train and educate the subordinate staff and patients. Nightingale’s theory of Nursing as well
as the Clinical Practice Guidelines presented by the Canadian Government focus on the
spiritual wellbeing of the patient, which I attempt to adhere to in my daily practice by the
administration of appropriate culturally competent care to the patient (Basch, Loblaw &
Rumble, 2014). Application of such theoretical and standardized principles in my practice,
not only allows me to exhibit care plans which are sensitive to the cultural background of the
patient, but also allows to me to inculcate positive feelings of optimism, wellbeing, value and
empowerment in them. The application of Nightingale’s model of Nursing, also necessitates
the maintenance of the social and wellbeing of the patient, which I attempt to incorporate by
usage of family centered and patient centered approach to treatments of my clients (de Souza
et al., 2017).
Conclusion

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Hence, to conclude, I believe that Florence Nightingale’s theory and model of
Nursing, proves to be an effective way to enhance and improve nursing knowledge and
current nursing practice, due to its perception of patients, as an individual possessing multiple
dimensions of health, each of which, requires adequate treatment and caring. By following
the four paradigms of nursing theory, I engage in the practical application of Nightingale’s
theory in my daily nursing practice, by offering a holistic treatment approach to the patient as
well the community, by considering their environmental, social, psychological and spiritual
wellbeing. For further successful administration of the usage of Nightingale’s theory of
Nursing, the application of governmental standards is of utmost importance, which I attempt
to incorporate by simultaneously adhering to the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Nurses in
Primary Care by the Government of Canada. Hence, it can be concluded, that my following
Florence Nightingale’s Nursing Model, I can practice high quality nursing activities in my
professional field.

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